67.

Aside from the North Central which has far and away the highest median hourly rate (and increase), the highest median hourly rates and rate increases are found in the group using Job Corps training on their job and among those who have been in the Job Corps over 6 months.

The smallest increase is found in the South and among those who were asked to leave the centers. Men increased their hourly rate more than women, urban center men more than Conservation center men, and whites more than Negroes.

Observation: The increase in median hourly rate for every group suggests that any
contact with the Job Corps can improve employment potential. The comparatively
greater increase for those groups where the contact was most effective (in Job Corps
over 6 months, using Job Corps training) clearly illustrates the value of the Job
Corps experience.

Possibilities of Job Advancement

This point was again made when we asked those who were working whether they

felt their job offered them a chance for advancement or did they consider it a sort of dead-end.

Using Job Under 3-6 More than Corps train

Total Men Women Urban vation Negro White 3 months months 6 months ing on job %

%

%

68.

Over half (55%) feel they have a pretty good chance for advancement compared with 21 percent of this group who felt, before going into the Job Corps, that they had a good chance for eventually getting a good paying job (the questions were not identical and there

is probably an element of hope as well as of real expectation in the after-Job Corps answer but the size of the increase gives some measure of the change in attitude). Whites are more optimistic than Negroes, men more than women and those in urban centers more than those in Conservation centers.

Observation: The most optimistic group in terms of improvement in pay and
expectation of advancement is the group using Job Corps training on their present
job.

In School Now

Turning now to the 10 percent who are in school, over half of this group are back in

*Note: Figures add to more than 100 percent as some respondents gave more than one answer.

Age is an obvious factor: the younger ones more likely to be in high school, the

69.

Almost 9 in 10 (88%) feel school is now worthwhile. Of those in school before going

into the Job Corps only 64% felt it was worthwhile. The Job Corps experience has been useful to over half in preparing them for school:

70.

Unemployed Now

Of those who are unemployed only one in three said they have been unemployed since they

left the Job Corps. More than half said they had been working since that time:

The unemployed group has been out of work a median of 1.9 months (they have been out

of the Job Corps a median of 5.1 months, the same as the total sample):

Most of the unemployed are looking for a job but 16% are trying to get back into the

*Note: Figures add to more than 100 percent as some respondents gave more than

one answer.